“Daniel, why don’t you want to swim?” Holly called.
“I just … don’t. Come with me, you guys.”
“Not a chance,” Kendall said as she waded into the water.
“This was your idea, Daniel,” Niqui reminded him, as she followed Kendall into the water. “Come in with us.”
He shook his head. “Uh, maybe … later,” he murmured. “I think I’ll go inside and wait for Zack.”
Holly watched after his retreating figure, confused by the sudden shift in his manner. What was wrong with Daniel?
Chapter Two
“Holly, come in!” Niqui called. “The water feels great.”
Holly stood at the end of the dock, staring at the green water below her. Although it was murky from pollen and floating debris, it was shallow enough here for her to see to the bottom of the lake. She spied several shadowy rock forms, a cleanly cut tree trunk, and a small trout swimming toward the underside of the dock. Just beyond and to the left, she spied the grove of tree stumps David had warned her about.
What had alarmed Daniel? she wondered, because, something had. She knew it. She felt it.
One minute, he had been cheerful and upbeat, the next—terrified. And he wasn’t pretending. Of that, she was certain. She hadn’t known him since he was five without having learned his personality quirks.
“I’m going to check on Daniel.”
“He’s just being a pooper,” Kendall declared. “Sometimes that boy can be so melodramatic. Come on, Holly! The water is perfect.”
“I’m worried about him,” she mused aloud. “One minute, he couldn’t wait to go swimming, the next, he refused to go near the water. What’s up with that? He loves the water.”
“Ah, he’s just pulling a fast one,” Niqui said. “Just trying to worry us. He’s probably hiding behind a tree right now and ready to jump out and scare the bejeebers out of us.”
“I don’t know,” she said doubtfully. “He seemed really … upset.”
She turned toward the cabin. She spied Daniel’s face in the window above the kitchen sink. He stood stiff as a board, watching them.
With a sigh, she called to her friends. “I’ll be right back.” She headed for the cabin and entered. Daniel had left the window and was slumped in the recliner.
“What’s up, bud?” she asked. “You’re acting weird.”
“This isn’t an act,” he said, attempting a smile.
“Well, true. Acting equates to pretending, and you don’t pretend to be weird. You are weird.”
She’d hoped to manage a smile from him, but no go. He looked stricken by her remark. “Oh, Danny Boy, spill it. You have me worried.”
He shook his head, rose from the chair, and walked to the window. He was silent for a long moment, his back to her. “Holly, tell ‘em to come out of the water. Please.”
“Daniel… Talk to me.”
He turned and made a play of checking his watch—which wasn’t presently on his wrist. “What time is it? Shouldn’t Zack be here by now?” he murmured.
As if on cue, they heard the sound of a big diesel engine. Holly was sure she saw Daniel sigh with relief. “Get the girls!” he commanded.
“They’re happy where they are, Daniel,” she said in a soothing voice.
“I don’t care!” he snapped. “Didn’t you say we need to pick up groceries at Amboy? It’s as good a time as any. Get the girls and we’ll get our shopping done.”
Daniel spun on his heel and strode out of the cabin. Holly hurried after him and stood back as he jogged to Zack’s truck. The lean boy was dwarfed by the big Ford. Once the roar of the diesel engine cut off, Zack dropped out of the driver’s side and strode over to greet his friend.
Zack, who was several inches taller than Daniel, and powerfully built, bent to listen to his friend speak. They stood as still as statues, talking for several moments. Finally, Zack gave a swift shake of his head and draped a brotherly arm around his best friend. He didn’t immediately release him, but instead, pulled him into a quick embrace.
Holly watched, her eyes narrowed with curiosity. What was up with Daniel? It had to be serious, since he’d turned to Zack for comfort. The two were like brothers. Zack, probably due to his sheer size, often assumed the big brother role, but Daniel could step into the role just as easily.
He finally released Daniel, giving him a playful push toward the cabin, while he went the other direction, toward the water. A minute or so later, the girls followed him back to the cabin, where Holly and Daniel stood nearby the back porch, unspeaking. It was so unlike Daniel to be so quiet.
Holly sent a hesitant glance his way. His eyes were red with unshed tears, and she had absolutely no idea why. He’d performed a quick change when it came to temperament, and it wasn’t a change she was familiar with in him. Surly and melancholy were two adjectives that had never described her life-long friend.
“Get dried off, ladies,” Zack commanded. “We’re heading to the grocery store.”
“Can’t it wait?” Kendall asked. “I want to swim some more.”
“Nope, it can’t wait,” he said, suddenly sounding like a drill sergeant. “According to Daniel, we need groceries. Dry off. We need to pool our cash, make a list, and drive back to Amboy. If we’re back here early enough, maybe we can take the boat out.”
The latter was said with a hopeful look at Holly, who didn’t miss the stark look of apprehension that flashed in Daniel’s eyes when he heard boating might be on the evening’s agenda. Earlier, he had been so excited about the prospect of boating.
“Sure,” Holly said tentatively, not wanting to upset Daniel. “But we need to hurry. I’m not comfortable boating in the dark. Too many hazards in the water,” she added.
“Hazards,” Daniel repeated softly.
The girls turned toward him, each giving him a speculative look. “Daniel, spill. What’s up with you?” Niqui said. The statuesque brunette draped an arm over his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.
He shrugged in response, stepping out from under Niqui’s arm to cross his arms over his chest.
“Nothing’s up with Danny Boy,” Zack quipped, giving his friend a good-natured shove that sent him tumbling toward the base of a broad-trunked evergreen. Daniel righted himself just before he slammed into the tree.
“Whoa, sorry, dude,” Zack said earnestly. “You’re just so light. We need to get this kid a Twinkie. No, we need to get him a couple boxes of Twinkies.”
Even the mention of his favorite snack cake didn’t cheer Daniel up as he walked slowly toward the vehicles parked several yards away. “Who’s driving?” he called over his shoulder in a fatigued voice.
“I will,” Kendall said, and he walked dejectedly toward her car and took a seat in the back.
“What gives, Zack?” Holly asked. “Daniel is really upset about something, but he refuses to talk about it.”
He waved a dismissive hand and flashed a high-voltage grin. “Danny Boy’s all right. Don’t give him a thought. We’ll be waiting for you girls in the car.”
***
On the way to the grocery store, the kids compiled a shopping list. Later, at the market in the small town of Amboy, Holly tore the grocery list into several pieces, giving each individual an item or two to find. They made it out of the store in record time, and it looked like they would have an hour or two of boating ahead of them.
Back in Kendall’s car, Holly shot a worried glance at Daniel. Would he come boating with them? Sadly, he had remained quiet on the drive to the store, and was equally subdued now.
Finally, Niqui pressed him for answers about his odd behavior. “Daniel, if you don’t open that mouth of yours and tell us what the heck happened back at the water, I’m going to hold you down and tickle you until you talk.”
“Yeah, Dan,” Kendall added, “and you know I’m relentless when it comes to tickle torture.” Suddenly, Kendall appeared to have an idea. “Heck, I’ll take you down to that water, toss you in, and hold you under un
til you signal you’re ready to talk…”
“Kendall,” Zack said sternly, “knock it off.”
Holly, who sat in the middle seat in the back, felt Daniel stiffen beside her. Niqui, on her other side, nudged her, lifting her brows in question at Daniel’s odd behavior. She shook her head worriedly, meeting Niqui’s concerned gaze.
Finally, Daniel sighed. “I … saw … something in the water.”
“Yeah, so?” Kendall prompted. “What’d you see?”
Zack, who was sitting up front in the passenger seat, turned around in the seat to watch his friend. He gave him a warning glance. “Dan—iel…” he said, drawing out his friend’s name.
He sent an anguished glance at his friend. “Zack, you know it’s happening…”
“Daniel, enough!” he snapped. “We’ll talk about this later. You’re wrong. You’re so wrong. I know you. Do you hear me?”
Daniel glanced frantically around, his eyes lighting first on Niqui, then on Holly. Holly caught sight of Kendall’s frightened blue eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Daniel…” Holly murmured softly. “What is it? Tell us what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Zack said in frustration.
“Zack! Let him talk!” Holly insisted.
“Let it go,” Zack said softly. “Please.”
“But something is wrong,” Daniel said in a low voice. “I’m wrong. It’s happened, Zack. It’s happened. I’m … crazy! Just like the rest of ‘em.”
***
The remainder of the ride to the cabin took place in absolute silence. If they were going to discuss Daniel’s fears, Zack had said it would happen back at the cabin, and not in a moving vehicle. Holly suspected he wanted to be close to his friend, should something bad go down.
Holly knew that like her, her friends were worried sick about Daniel. What did he mean he was ‘crazy, just like the rest of ‘em’? Just like who?
He wasn’t crazy. Silly, carefree, mischievous maybe, but crazy? Where’d he ever get an idea like that? Crazy? Hardly.
Back at the cabin, the group trouped inside, depositing the groceries on the kitchen counter. Wordlessly, they put away the perishables and then, one by one, moved into the living area and took a seat.
Daniel dropped into the recliner. He tipped his head back and raked his hands along either side of his head. When he glanced up, his friends were watching him, their eyes fixed on his troubled, uncharacteristically pale face.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he groaned.
“Like what, Danny Boy?” Niqui said softly.
“Like I’m crazy!”
“The only one here who thinks you’re crazy is you!” Zack quipped, and then stood up and began pacing. “Okay, Dan, fill ‘em in.”
He gave his best friend a hesitant glance, and Zack nodded in return. Daniel took his cue and began talking. “I was … um, standing at the end of the dock. I ... was going to cannonball in. You know, drench you girls.”
“Yeah, surprise, surprise,” Kendall intoned.
“Go on,” Niqui urged.
“Anyway, I was waiting for you guys so I could launch, when…”
“What?” Holly prompted softly.
“I saw something.”
“What?” Niqui asked.
Daniel rose from the chair and began pacing, opposite in direction to his best friend. He didn’t speak for a solid minute, until Zack grabbed him by the shoulders and propelled him back into the tattered recliner.
“Talk!” he commanded, and then uttered, “and so you know, there’s a logical explanation for what you saw. And not … the explanation you’ve come up with.”
“I’m crazy,” Daniel said in a resigned, defeated voice.
“You … are … not!” Zack bellowed.
“Okay, okay,” Holly said, “Daniel, tell us what you saw. Let us help you.”
He gave her a searching gaze, but finally spoke. “Okay, I saw a girl. She was underwater, looking up at me. She um, had a funny, greenish complexion…”
The declaration was met by silence. Finally, Holly sighed. “No, Daniel, you thought you saw a girl,” she said in a reassuring tone. “And yesterday, when I was boating with my family, and fell off the towable into 200-feet of water, I thought I saw an alligator gar coming for me.”
It was Zack who spoke first in response to Holly’s statement. “What are you talking about?” he said, his voice incredulous.
“Well, the other day, I saw a show on TV about alligator gars. Heck, from what I understand from the show, they aren’t even mean fish—they’re not even in this lake—but I thought I saw one. And in my mind, it was coming right at me.”
Daniel gave her a hesitant glance, and she raised her right hand. “Daniel,” she said evenly, “this reservoir is big, deep, and if you really think about it, kinda scary. There are trees, hills, and God knows what else under all that water. It can make an imagination run wild. You saw a girl, well, I’d rather see a girl than an alligator gar coming my way—even if they are wrongly tagged as vicious killing machines.”
Kendall burst out laughing. “Well, I didn’t see anyone or anything in the water, except rocks, stumps, fish, and me! And I’m going back out there in a few to swim if we don’t get in that boat.”
“Kendall!” Niqui cried, “where’s your sensitivity?” When Kendall didn’t respond, she turned to Daniel. “Hey, brother from another mother, wanna hear what I saw in the inky depths of that water?” She flashed a quick grin. “Actually, the water isn’t inky. It’s green, but I read that term in a book. Inky,” she laughed, “has a mysterious ring to it. Anyway…”
“What?” Daniel asked, bracing for her answer.
“I saw a water moccasin coming toward me. It was big, fanged, and about to get me. I almost screamed, until I realized one, the thing was a stick, and two, we don’t have water moccasins in Washington State. Praise God,” she added wryly.
“Niqui, you are crazy,” Zack quipped, and then dashed toward her and tackled her. The two fell to the floor, arms and legs flailing.
“You guys!” Holly admonished. “Over here? We have a friend in need…”
She sent a glance at Daniel. Suddenly, he looked better. His pale face had taken on a healthier, rosier hue.
“Are you guys telling the truth?” he asked Niqui first, and then Holly. “You really thought you saw those things?”
“Yep, among other things,” Holly replied. “There’s something about having your body floating on hundreds of feet of manmade lake that congers up all sorts of fearsome things—makes the imagination run wild. And the fact that operators at the dam can flip some sort of switch or such and make the water level either rise or lower is also kind of creepy.”
“But I wasn’t even in the water,” Daniel protested.
“It’s the shadows,” Holly declared. “The shadows will fool you every time.”
Chapter Three
“Everybody in?” Zack asked.
The group of kids settled into the boat. Holly took hold of the towable and carefully situated it on the seats in the front of the boat, and out of the way for the time being. “Can you see all right?” she asked Zack.
Since he was so tall, he could easily see over the tube as long as he stood up. He began carefully backing away from the dock. Holly noted right away that he knew what he was doing, as he easily navigated away from the stump patch.
Once they’d cleared the shallows and entered deep water, she breathed a sigh of relief. She noted Niqui was sprawled out on the back seat, closest to the outboard motor. Kendall sat on the seat that backed up to Zack’s driver’s seat, while Daniel took the seat that backed to her passenger seat. Zack kept the boat to a sedate pace, perhaps topping out at ten miles per hour.
“Can’t you go any faster than this?” Kendall called out with frustration. “My eighty-six-year-old great grandfather drives faster than you do.”
“Just trying to see what I’m up against,” he replied, glancing at Holly, who
rose to stand and began pointing out landmarks. She gave him the same spiel David had given her, warning him about the island, with its steep underwater inclines, and the stump patch coming up on their right. She also warned the group as a whole to keep their eyes peeled for stray logs, since they were prevalent in the water—particularly after a rain storm.
“Why don’t we head over to the bridge—to the channel leading to the Siouxon?” she suggested. She was curious to see how high the water was at this point during the day. It was nearing six-thirty. Had the water level been lowered? Or had it gotten deeper, thanks to water being released into the reservoir from the dam above?
Zack proved to be the epitome of caution and restraint, ignoring Kendall and Niqui’s cries for increased speed. “Let me get the feel of the boat,” he called back. “Every boat is different.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kendall murmured.
Upon reaching the bridge, Holly noted the water was high and she didn’t want to chance going under it, lest the water rise and trap them. There was no telling when they might get out if they did happen to get stuck, and it would be mortifying for the county law enforcement, who policed the lakes on boat and jet ski, to find them trapped.
She knew she would never hear the end of it from her brother or stepfather, particularly since David was a deputy who worked Marine Patrol for the sheriff’s office in the adjoining county. During the summer, he often patrolled Yale Lake, as well as Lake Merwin nearby.
Holly directed Zack to a nearby cove. He turned the boat around and they motored at a sedate pace to the cove which was just north of the bridge. Zack set the boat to idle, shut it down, and then asked Daniel to help him drop anchor.
“Anybody want to take a dip?” Holly asked.
“Keep your vests on,” Zack advised the group.
“No way,” Kendall said.
Zack sighed heavily. “Humor me, Kendall. Wear a vest. Everybody.”
“Come on, Zack,” she groaned. “We all know how to swim.”
The Reservoir Page 2